Cutter-colloid mill



E. c;. EPPENBACH EI'AL 2,335,002

CUTTER- COLLO ID MILL Nov. 23, 1943.

Filed April '7, 1942 INVENTORS sow/1v a. a ps/vane LESLIE QF/SHEE THEIR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 23, 1943 CUTTER-COLLOID MILL Edwin G. Eppenbach, Manhasset, and Leslie C.

Fisher, Farmingdale, N. Y.; said Fisher assignor to said Eppenbach Application April '7, 1942, Serial No. 437,978

5 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for milling, cutting and bringing to a colloidal state liquid or semi-liquid matter, and is particularly designed for treating such matter in the manner outlined in relatively small quantities and at a relatively rapid rate.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a cutter-colloidal mill of a simple, inexpensive, but very effective construction, and which device is rendered portable and applicable for use in laboratory and home.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of that kind with a combination mill and cutter unit, wherein is provided a rotor, adapted to operate within two detachable parts of the stator, and wherein a cutter is arranged which is designed to operate together with the rotor, and which is provided with a plurality of cutter blades of different lengths and shapes, some of which being designed to extend above, and others to substantially follow the outer contour of the mill, and serving not only for a rough cutting operation of the ingredients subjected to the treatment, but also providing an effective turbulence and circulation of the matter being treated.

The foregoing and still further objects and important advantages of the present invention will become more fully evident as the detail description of the device ensues in connection with the accompanying drawing, which latter, although disclosing specific forms of the apparatus, are by no means intended to limit the construction to the designs illustrated, and wherein Fig. 1 is an elevation, partially in section, of a cutter-colloid mill in its presently preferred form;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 illustrates a vertical detail sectional view of the cutter and colloid mill arrangement in a modified form; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device, partially in section, similar to that shown in Fig. 2, with the mill arrangement illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring now specifically to the drawing, numeral l0 denotes a hollow base of the device, the upper structure of which is so arranged as to provide a suspension cup II, from which depends a vertically disposed motor I2. Both the base and the cup are provided with ventilating passages l3 and M, respectively, which also serve for facilitating the handling of the mechanism within the base. Cup II is provided with an annular ledge l5, which supports a base cover l6, having an internally threaded central hub I! for the reception of threaded neck l8, extending from the lower fixed portion [9 of the stator assembly employed in the device. Stator structure I!) rests upon a liquid-proof gasket 20, placed upon the bottom 2| of vessel 22. A similar gasket 23 is provided between the bottom of the vessel and cover member l6 of the base. By means of the threaded connection between neck l8 and hub ll stator member [9 is securely held in place, while gaskets 20 and 23 provide a liquid-tight seal between the parts.

Joined with the fixed lower stator structure is a removable and exchangeable upper structure 24. Both structures are preferably provided with attaching lugs 25, for the accommodation of bolts 26 which hold together the two stator elements. Within the fixed stator structure there is provided a journal or bushing 21 for removable extension 28 of the motor shaft. This extension is preferably joined with the shaft by means of a coupling 29, which may be reached through openings l3 and I4. Shaft extension 28 is recessed at 30 to form a support for an exchangeable rotor 3|, which latter is secured to shaft extension 28 by means of its threaded end, not shown, and nut 32 engaging that end.

In addition to aflixing rotor 3| to shaft extension 28, nut 32 holds against rotor 3| a cutter 2rrangement consisting of at least two sets of cutter blades, disposed preferably at right angles to one another, each blade set having at least two blades. The shorter set consists of two blades 33, which latter extend above the mill unit and in slightly outward direction from their attached center, their ends terminating in pointed tips, the longer cutter set having blades 34 of a uniform width, which also extend above the mill unit, but in addition are shaped to substantially conform with the outer contour of the stator, their outer ends being directed downwardly and terminating in substantially horizontal tips 35.

It will be observed that rotor 3! operates between the fixed and removable stator structure, and that the conical grinding or milling face of the rotor cooperates with the correspond ng interior cone face of upper stator structure 24.

A modified form of the device is illustrated-in Figs. 3 and 4, wherein rotor 3! is equipped with turbine vanes 36, which extend vertically up- Wards from the rotor body and are disposed tangentially to an imaginary inner circle which is concentric with the periphery of the rotor. The outer edges of turbine vanes 36 are also disposed in a circle which is parallel to the interior circumference of the removable rotor element 24.

This modified form also employs a cutter set having short blades 33 extending above the mill unit, and longer blades 34 directed above the mill unit and about the outline of the upper stator structure and terminating in horizontal tips 35-.

It will be noted that the colloidal mill unit is sufiiciently spaced from the wall of vessel 22 to assure unrestricted circulation of the matter issuing from the peripheral discharge passages 31 provided in removable stator member 24. Attention is also directed to the central recess arranged at the upper end of member 24, which serves as intake orifice for the matter subjected to the combined cutting, mincing, milling and mixing operations of the device.

Operation Vessel 22 is preferably open at the top and is conical in shape, but of course may be shaped differently and its top may be readily covered. The matter to be treated is placed into the vessel, whereupon motor I2 is caused to revolve rotor 3i and the cutters above it. The action. of the mill unit causes the downward movement of the matter in central direction, and in the event large particles are present, they are broken up by the combined action of cutter blades 33 and 34 before they reach the grinding surfaces of the mill. The cut-up and milled matter is then dis:- charged through side openings 31, provided in stator element 24, and is directed against the conical wall of vessel 22, thereby being forced in upward direction until again brought into the mill unit through the suction created by the latter.

In order to produce a more vigorous circulation of the matter treated, the rotor may be equipped with turbine vanes, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, which latter also serve as a pre-mincing instrumentality for matter which has not been suificiently severed by cutters 33 and 34. Through the vigorous circulation of the matter in the vessel, a high degree turbulence of the solid particles within the liquid carrier is accomplished, whereby such particles are finely distributed throughout the carrier and are held in colloidal suspension.

While specific forms of our device are illustrated, it is evident that treatments of different ingredients may require changes and improvements in the device shown; therefore we reserve for ourselves the right to make such changes and improvements therein, without departing from the broad scope of our invention, defined in the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. In a cutter-colloid mill havinga vertical drive, a colloidal mill and cutter means actuated by said drive, said mill comprising fixed and removable and exchangeable stator members and a rotor operative between these members, said cutter means comprising a set of short, radial upwardly directed and a set of longer radial, downwardly shaped cutter blades, both blade sets being removably secured to and revolvable with the mill rotor, the ends of the short blades extending above the removable stator member, and the ends of the longer cutter blades extending horizontally beyond the outer periphery of said stator member.

2 In a cutter-colloid mill, as set forth in claim 1, said rotor having pre-mincing means, adapted to cooperate with the stator in reducing the size of particles subjected to the operation of the cutter blades prior to entering the colloidal mill.

3. In a cutter-colloid mill having a vertical drive and being operative within and near the bottom of a vessel, the combination of a colloidal mill and cutter means adapted to be actuated by said vertical drive, said colloidal mill comprising a rotor and a stator, the latter being composed of'fixed and removable members between which said rotor operates, the removable stator member being spaced from the fixed stator member to provide peripheral discharge passages directed against the wall of the vessel; said cutter means comprising at least two sets of radial blades removably secured to the mill rotor, one of the blade sets being shorter than the other set andextending upwards in respect to the removable stator member, the longer blade set substantially conforming in shape to the upper contour of the removable stator member, their ends terminating in a substantially horizontal direction and peripherally to said stator member.

4. In a vertically driven combination cutter and colloidal mill device operative in a vessel, a colloidal mill comprising a stator and a rotor disposed near the bottom, and being spaced from the wall of the vessel, the stator being composed of fixed and removable members between which the rotor operates, the removable stator member having a central intake orifice and peripheral discharge passages directed against the vessel wall; a cutter, removably secured to the mill stator, comprising at least two sets of radial cutter units, one set having relatively short, upwardly directed blades with pointed ends, the other set being composed of longer blades of a uniform width and substantially conforming in shape to the outer contour of the removable stator member and terminating in substantially horizontal fiat tips adapted to operate exteriorly to the outer periphery of the colloidal mill.

5. In a vertically driven combination cutter and colloidal mill device operative in a vessel, a colloidal mill disposed at the bottom and being spaced from the wall of the vessel, and comprising fixed and removable stator members and a rotor operative between these members, the removable stator member having a central intake orifice, an internal, conical mill surface and peripheral discharge passages, the rotor having a conical mill surface corresponding to and cooperating with that of the removable stator member, a plurality turbine blades extending from the rotor into the intake orifice of the removable stator member; two sets of radial cutters disposed at right angles to one another and being secured to and operative with said rotor, one cutter set having relatively short, upwardly directed blades with pointed ends, the other cutter set having blades of uniform width, their ends extending aboutthe contour of the stator and terminating in substantially horizontal tips,

EDWIN G. EPPENBACH. LESLIE C. FISHER. 

